Page 2

Ethan

The metal elevator car ascended the high-rise building with a mechanical whir. Ethan dragged a trembling hand through his hair. His pulse raced in a frantic, uneven rhythm. His tailored suit felt restrictive, suffocating him as the numbers on the digital display climbed higher. He had rehearsed this moment a thousand times on the agonizing flight from London, desperate to undo the terrible mistake that cost him the love of his life.

He found the brass numbers on her door and forced his knuckles to rap the wood. The seconds ticked by, turning into an eternity. Then, the lock clicked, and the door swung open.

Lily stood there. Seeing her in the flesh punched the breath right out of his lungs. He took her in, his gaze greedily devouring every single inch of the woman he had spent months agonizing over. Her dark hair was longer now, cascading down her shoulders in messy, beautiful waves that begged to be touched. She wore an oversized, soft knit sweater that had slipped off one shoulder, exposing the smooth, creamy skin of her collarbone. But it was her face that wrecked him. Her cheeks carried a flushed, rosy tint, and her lips were swollen, a deep, inviting pink that made it agonizingly obvious she had just been thoroughly kissed. She looked breathtaking. She looked alive. A desperate surge of hope flooded his veins, intoxicating him with the delusion that maybe he could reach out and pull her back into his arms.

"God, I missed you," Ethan breathed. He looked at her in a trance, terrified she might vanish if he blinked.

Her initial shock morphed into rigid disbelief, and then, blinding fury.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lily hissed, her voice vibrating with unfiltered anger. "You do not get to just show up here after ripping my heart out and acting like nothing happened. Get the hell away from my door before I call the police."

"I came for you, Lily," he pleaded, taking a desperate step forward. He needed her to understand the depth of his regret.

Footsteps approached from the living room. A tall, dark-haired man appeared. The stranger wrapped an arm around Lily's waist, pulling her securely to his side, and kissed her temple. Ethan's blood turned to ice.

"Who is it, babe?" the man asked.

Ethan’s protective instincts flared into a burning rage. "Who the hell is this?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger.

The stranger straightened up, his easygoing demeanor fading. He clearly recognized the challenge. He pulled Lily a fraction closer to his chest, placing his body as a physical barrier. "I am her boyfriend. Who are you, and what do you want with Lily?"

"Her fiancé." Ethan threw the words like a weapon, hoping to sever the connection he saw forming in front of him.

"He is a liar," Lily snapped, her eyes blazing with undisguised hatred. "We are nothing. We haven't been anything since I caught you screwing Gemma on your office desk."

The dark-haired man’s jaw tightened. He glared at Ethan with lethal intent. "You heard her. You have ten seconds to get off this floor before I throw you in the elevator myself."

"Lily, please, just five minutes," Ethan begged, ignoring the threat. "I flew across the world for you. I can explain—"

"Go to hell, Ethan," Lily spat.

The wooden door slammed shut, missing his nose by a fraction of an inch. The deadbolt clicked into place with a definitive, final thud.

Ethan stood paralyzed in the corridor. Through the thin walls, he heard the muffled cadence of their raised voices. Lily sounded agitated, her tone pleading but frantic. The stranger’s voice responded, defensive and hard. Ethan’s hands curled into tight fists. He refused to leave. He did not know who this guy was, and the thought of Lily being unsafe with an aggressive stranger terrified him. He leaned closer to the wood, bracing his palms on the frame, ready to kick the door off its hinges if she cried out for help.

The arguing escalated. Then, the cadence changed. A solid thud rattled the door directly in front of Ethan’s face. He flinched, stepping back, his heart hammering. He reached for the handle, convinced the man was hurting her.

Then, a distinct sound stopped him dead.

It was a moan. Not of pain, but of undeniable, breathless pleasure.

"Oh, Jason," Lily whimpered. The sound bled through the wood, ringing in the sterile hallway.

Jason. The name dropped into Ethan's stomach like a lead weight.

Another thud shook the door, followed by the distinct rustle of clothing being torn away and tossed aside. A zipper sliding down. Skin meeting skin.

"That's it, baby," Jason growled, his voice rough and demanding. "Take all of me in your perfect little pussy."

Lily let out a frantic, high-pitched cry that tore straight through Ethan's chest. "Yes, please. God, Jason, more. Do not stop. Right there."

A blinding, physical pain ripped through Ethan’s torso. He stumbled backward, hitting the opposite wall of the corridor. His knees buckled, sending him crashing to the floor. The rhythmic, punishing thumps hitting the apartment door continued, rattling the frame on its hinges. Ethan could hear the wet, slick friction of their bodies colliding, accompanied by Lily’s escalating cries. She was begging for another man. She was surrendering to this stranger mere inches away from where he sat, her voice shattering with a level of ecstasy Ethan remembered coaxing from her himself.

"You feel so damn good," Jason rasped through the door, the sound of his hips driving hard into the wood ringing in the hall.

"I'm yours," Lily gasped out, her words fractured by pleasure. "I am all yours."